LEGISLATIVE APPROACHES TO REDUCING DWI

This article reviews current legislative approaches by State governments and the District of Columbia intended to address the problem of drinking and driving. This legislation is concentrated on making it easier for police to enforce drunk driving laws, increasing the severity of legal sanctions and specifying mandatory penalties for various categories of offenses, and raising the minimum legal drinking age. In addition, legislation proposed or enacted in some States deals with rehabilitation programs for convicted offenders, often mandating rehabilitation or education for all first offenders in addition to legal sanctions. A few States have sought to develop laws requiring that violator's fines or separate fees be used to underwrite the cost of such programs. Several bills have sought to curtail the judicial system's use of plea bargaining. In conclusion, it is stated that many States are seeking to increase public awareness of the consequences of DWI and are recognizing the need to address such inter-State issues as what can be done to stop drivers whose licenses are revoked or suspended in one State from driving in another, and how States can develop and enforce uniform efforts to deal with drunk driving and to control youths' access to alcoholic beverages.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0090838X
• Corporate Authors:

  US National Inst on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism

  P.O. Box 2345
  Rockville, MD  United States  20852
• Publication Date: 1982

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 3 p.
• Serial:
  • Alcohol Health and Research World
  • Volume: 7
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: US National Inst on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism
  • ISSN: 0090-838X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Awareness; Costs; Driver rehabilitation; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Education; Law enforcement; Laws; Legal drinking age; Legal factors; Penalties; State government
• Uncontrolled Terms: Rehabilitation
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00373614
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-033 982
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 30 1983 12:00AM